(WHTM) –  The U.S. Women’s Field Hockey team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with a roster that features 16 Pennsylvania natives, with many hailing from the Midstate.

“It’s really neat because a lot of us grew up playing together,” said Hershey native Maddie Zimmer. “There are several of us that played against each other in high school or played with each other in high school and now to have the opportunity to stand by those girls while we’re qualifying for the Olympics is pretty surreal.”

Zimmer, a midfielder, attended Hershey High and was named to the US Women’s National Team in 2021, making this her first experience trying to qualify for the Olympics.

Zimmer’s teammate Ashley Hoffman, who hails from Mohnton, was first named to the US Women’s National Team in January 2020.

“It has been quite a journey since the last time we didn’t qualify and I think this buildup is so satisfying because it really started on ground zero,” said Hoffman. “People on the outside now can see our growth, but day to day it’s been such a rewarding experience to go from zero to having a ticket to Paris.”

Hoffman, a midfielder/back, has been on this journey with her teammate from Twin Valley High School Kelee Lepage.

“(To) do this together, which it was a dream of both of ours, and to have both achieved it is just an incredible feeling,” Hoffman said. ” It’s really nice to be alongside people that we’ve known for years and years.”

The path from high school field hockey to the Olympics has been long for both women, but they expressed their gratitude for the chance to represent their country and the state of Pennsylvania.

“I think it’s just such an honor and a privilege to be able to even have the chance to represent your country at the Olympics,” said Zimmer. “I think that it’s something that we’re all just going to relish in every moment of it and just really take advantage of the opportunity that we have been given, but also that we’ve worked really hard for.”

The team punched their ticket to the Olympics by defeating Japan in the semifinals of the qualifiers. Hoffman scored the goal to tie the game with teammate Abigail Tamer scoring the eventual game winner.

“In reflection, I was so just locked into the moment,” Hoffman said. “Of course, we celebrate for 15 seconds afterward, but then after the goals it’s like, okay, there’s more game to be played.”

The team has a little bit of downtime right now, but the next few months will be intense as they prepare for the Olympics.

“We still have to go to Europe in May for Pro League, so that will be some great preparation leading up to the games and then just continuing to train and work out and lift,” Zimmer said.

Both women hope their hard work and passion for the game inspires young girls to pursue their dreams.

“I hope they just believe that anything is possible,” Hoffman said. “And that sounds very cliche, but I really believe it’s true. You can come from whatever path that you are taking and make it to this level if you work hard and have a good attitude and a team spirit. I think shoot for the stars and dream big and it’s completely possible.”

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Zimmer said she still remembers being a young girl watching the Olympics and dreaming about playing for the US.

“I remember the last time the US went to the Olympics,” Zimmer said. “I was that girl watching them play and I was like, ‘that would be so cool to play at that level, but I don’t know if I could ever do it’.”

Zimmer said she hopes to inspire the next generation of girls just like her predecessors inspired her.

“I would just hope that girls could take away, especially because so many of us are from Pennsylvania and field hockey is so big here, (that) you really can do it,” Zimmer said.

Hoffman noted that the support the team receives from fans and the country truly inspires them.

“The support that we all felt at the qualifier really created such a good environment for us and we felt it and it really helped us,” Hoffman said. “So going forward, all of the messages of support of love that everyone outpours to us really does help and we hear it.”

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